Oregon police accountability: Tell us your stories

Oregon has won national praise when it comes to holding officers accountable for bad behavior, mainly because the state strips more officers of their credentials than in many other places.

But The Oregonian/OregonLive's investigation found that the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training has allowed dozens of officers to keep their state certification even though they were fired for bad police work, neglecting their duties or worse.

Fired, But Fit for Duty

Dozens of Oregon police officers stay eligible to carry a gun and a badge even after being fired for chronically inept police work or worse, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found.

Department officials don't consider incompetence or brutality issues for them to judge. They hardly ever perform their own investigations and generally send complaints against police officers back to the agencies that employ them.

Have you ever filed a complaint against a police officer you believe failed to perform his or her duties? If you are a police officer, do you want a stronger system of accountability, or do you feel the current system works?

We want to hear your stories. You may leave a comment below, or contact reporters Carli Brosseau (cbrosseau@oregonian.com) and Rebecca Woolington (rwoolington@oregonian.com).

We're aware that the public's relationship with police can be a highly charged issue for all involved. Please comment respectfully.